The animal loving and caring public should be proud of and grateful to the various hardworking animal welfare organisations that give up their free time, working tirelessly and in many instances under physical threat, to highlight the mistreatment of animals.

Such an organisation is Noah's Ark which was recently involved in saving animals condemned to a life of misery from a farm in Mizieb.

It took them three years to get the relevant authorities to take action, three years of unnecessary misery for these animals. Why did the authorities wait for such a long period before taking action?

Let us assume that the main reason that this incident occurred was pure ignorance of animal welfare on the part of the farm owner, which in the end is the main cause of most animal suffering on our islands.

The owner thought that it was correct to keep these animals in such a state and let them drink stagnant water as "drinking water costs money".

So why do we keep animals in the first place if we cannot understand their needs and how to care for them properly? It is high time that the authorities get together with the dedicated people who run the animal welfare organisations and formulate an education campaign on animal welfare. This will not stop the mistreatment of animals in general but will go a long way towards educating the public in how to treat animals.

The essential campaign around Christmas, that a dog is not just for Christmas but for life, is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to educating the public in the care of animals and should be followed up by similar campaigns throughout the year.

Furthermore, it is about time that the authorities recognise the work done by these animal welfare groups and contribute to, at the very least, part of their financial costs as well as committing themselves to eradicate animal cruelty.

After all, animal welfare is not just the responsibility of these organisations but of us all and most of all the people in power, as they could make the difference. But of course animals do not have a vote.